Flexible decorating web



1366- 25, 1934- J. F. CARPENTER FLEXIBLE DECORATING WEB Filed Oct. 7, 1952 JOHN FREDE'R/ Pre sa Dec. 25, 1934 1,9 5,430

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DECORATING WEB John Frederick Carpenter, Collingswood. N. J.

Application October 7, 1932, Serial No. 636,821 2 Claims. (01. 41-24) This invention relates to decorated webs and ent paper or other material having the essential their manufacture, and more particularly to 9. characteristics required by the face web. I preflexible decorated web adapted for wall or other fer to use a sheet of modified cellulose, such as the covering. transparent sheet derived from viscose, for this 5 In the manufacture of wall covering, various purpose. 5

attempts have been made to secure flexible, dec- The base web 3 is a flexible material, such as orated webs by using a coated or saturated fabric paper or coated, flexible fabric, preferably wateror felt stock as a base, and applying thereon vaproofed or sized to prevent or substantially inrious paints or other decorations. In some cases, hibit water absorption. It is desirable that the the materials used as a base have been saturated base web 3 be of a color appearing in. the decora- 10. with varnish; in others they have been saturated tion, or of a color lending itself to ready coverage or coated with nitrocellulose and varnished later; by the decoration employed. I may use clothand, in other cases, the base stock has been satulined paper or fabrics impregnated with latex, rated with asphalt. These attempts have been nitrocellulose, varnish or synthetic resins, in all 5 unsatisfactory and particularly in the cheaper cases, the impregnating material being preferforms where felt saturated with asphalt is used ably, but not necessarily, light-colored. I may as a base stock, the inherent nature of such base also employ paper or fabric covered with metal stock requiring that it be covered, and augmentfoil or coated with metallic inks or paints where ing the difliculties of decorating the web. a metallic sheen is desired in the finished decora- It is an object of my invention to provide a tion. Other suitable base webs which will occur 20 thin, flexible, decorated surface-covering web to those skilled in the art may also be employed, which is water-resistant. It is a further object The decoration 4 is covered by the face web 2. of my invention to provide a decorated surface- This decoration may be printed on the back of covering web having a depth of color and delicacy the face .web 2 or on the face of the base web 3. of decoration not heretofore available in serv- In either case, the coated or other surface of the 5 iceable forms and at low cost. A further object base web 3 will be visible through the transparent of my invention is to provide a serviceable, washface web 2 and through the transparent adheable, decorated web having sufficient flexibility sive securing the face web 2 to the base web 3 to render it easily applicable to all types of surand which has not been indicated in Figure 1 befaces. These and other objects will be more readcause of the limitations of drawing which would 30 ily understood by reference to the accompanying require that the adhesive layer be shown in thickdrawing illustrating certain preferred embodiness entirely out of proportion.

ments of my invention, in which: The decoration 4, whether painted on the back Figure 1 is a p r p V of a dec r ed, of the face web 2 or on the face of the base web 3 laminated web emb yi my i v n; or whether it be an independent element placed 35 F e 2 iS a} fragmentary View illust a a therebetween, is entirely protected by the face other form of myinvention; web 2 and by the base web 3. The face web 2 F gur 3 d 4 are fragmentary Perspective may be colored throughout its body, and when views illustratin th e od of y i this is done a quality of decoration having a vention; depth of color not producible by the paint meth- Figure 5 illustrates. diagrammatically, pp odsnow available is produced. It is desirable tus us ful in carry out Preierred method f that the base web 3 have a surface of good light manufacturi ew W s according o my reflecting quality when darker colors are used invention; in the face web 2. Very beautiful effects are Fi ure 6 represents a fragm ntary, omp obtained by executing the decorative elements 4 45 P rspective view showing details of construcwith metallic inks and a very rich sheen results tion of a further embodiment of my invention. h n the'base web 3 is treated with a metallic Referring to gu there s Shown a d coating or foil over which is adhesively applied orated sheet material or fabric of a laminated a colored modified cellulose or cellulose deriva- 5 structure comprising an outer transparent face ti The metallic inks or coatings may be apweb 2 and a flexible base web 3 adhesively secured plied to the back of the face web 2, as well as thereto. A decoration 4 is visible through the to the face of the base web 3, depending upon transparent face web 2. the types of decoration desired. Where the face The transparent face web may be a sheet of web 2 consists of a water-proof, colored cellulose cellulose nitrate or cellulose acetate, a transparhydrate, which is a relatively expensive com- 55 intermediate transparent web .of material 2*,

whichmaybeofthesamematerialastheface web 2, although the intermediate web 2* need not be waterproof. With such a structure, the decorated web, in its finished form, would comprise threelayers (seeFigureGLtwoofwhichwillbe transparent, the outer being preferably water and'soap resistant so that the finished product is washable, and either or both of the transparent webs being tinted or colored. Sharply contrasting color effects are secured by dieing out a pattern in one of two colored overlying webs. The adhesive employed is, in all cases, trans- 4 parent.

In Idgure 2, there is shown an embodiment of my invention in which a thin, flexible, decorative web having the appearance of solidity and depth is produced by adhesively securing a face web 5 to a base web 8 which latter is sufficiently thick to permit. embossing while retaining a relatively smooth back surface 7. In this embodiment, tile-like imits are produced by embossing and printing simultaneously. The base-web 8 may carry a printed or other desired decoration (not shown) on its top surface which will be visible through the face web 5 in the completed article. This decoration may, if preferred, be applied to the back of the face web 5. A very realistic tilelike decoration having a variegated tone and highly attractive depth of color is obtained by adhesively securing a mono-colored cellulose hydrate or acetate face web to a coated base web having a clouded decoration in delicately blended colors on its surface. The clouded decoration may advantageously be printed or sprayed on the back of the face web 5, using a solvent having a dissolving eflect upon the face web 5 to key the decoration thereon. The two webs being laminated, interliners 8 are printed and embossed on the web. The interliners may be printed in matte or gloss colors to imitate various types of cement. The "tile areas will vary within themselves because of the clouded decoration appearing through the colored face web and will vary somewhat between each other. The effect of light penetrating the colored face web and being reflected back through the colored face web produces an effect resembling carefully glazed colored porcelain ware. Where a simulation of hand-laid tile is desired, figures 9'are printed and embossed in the tile areas. Similar or other figures may be printed on the back of the face web or on the face of the base web, but in these cases close registration between the embossing and printing roll which prints the interliners" and the printed decoration is required. Since the decoration which is printed and embossed lies below the general surface of the finished sheet, there is little likelihood of the decoration being injured or removed'by cleaning if care is exercised.

In Figure 3, there is shown a flexible, laminated web in which a combination of decorations on the face web and base web cooperate to form a unitary effect. In this embodiment, the face web 1.0 is provided with a decoration 11 applied thereto. The decoration .11 is preferably printed on the side of the face web which will lie adjacent a base web 12 so that it will be protected by the thickness of the face web 10. On a base web 12, 'which may be a coated or sized paper, etc., there is printed a decoration 13 which will be visible through the face web 10. The decoration 13 may advantageously be of the so-called "running pattern, that is, without noticeable repeat, in order to minimize the problems of registration between the two patterns when the webs are laminated. The face web 10 may be coloredand when this is done, a remarkable effect is secured by printing the decorations 13 in metallic colors or printing on the base web 12 with metallic inks. One of the decorations may be printed in flat color .while the other is printed with a metallic medium, and in,

this case I prefer that the flat color he applied to the base web, although this may be varied to suit the design. A variation in effect may be obtained by merely sandblasting a design on the transparent face web, the untreated portion of the face web remaining transparent. In this way, variations in design are obtained without anadditional printing step, and no time is required for drying the decoration, the sandblasted design bein ready for application immediately.

In Figure 4, there is shown a laminated web in which the face web 14 carries a "running pattern 15. This running" pattern may advantageously comprise a succession of fine dots or dashes, such as Ben Day tints, printed on the back of the face web 14. A base web 16 is adhesively secured to the face web 14 and carries a printed decoration 17 visible through the face web 14 and the running decoration 15.

In Figure 5, I have illustrated, diagrammatically, apparatus suitable for carrying into effect the assembling of my laminated web. A face web squeeze rolls press the two adhesively treated c s together and the compound web is led to a drum 23 which, in the productionof an embossed type of article shown in Figure 2, presents a soft periphery 24 to take the embossing ribs of an embossing or indenting roll 25. The peripheral surface of the drum 23, of course, may be complementary to the embossing roll 25, but I have found that a soft pad serves quite well. The finished sheet is led off by a conveying roll 26 for inspection and trimming. It is desirable that the embossing be carried out while the adhesive is plastic. This is readily controlled by the speed of the sheet and the drying of the adhesive. I have shown two airblasts A which serve to take off the solvent employed in the adhesive. By varying the amount of air, the temperature. thereof and the speed of the sheet, any desired plasticity of adhesive may be obtained at the time the laminated structure arrives at the drum 23.

I have found that ordinary clear nitrocellulose lacquer forms a satisfactory adhesive for securing cellulose hydrate or cellulose acetate to a decorated paper web. Thermoplastic adhesives may be employed to advantage wherespeed of operation is important and solvent recovery is not available. Variously colored adhesives are used where it is desired to introduce an additional tone into the decoration. Certain types of modified cellulose sheets may be cut with low-boiling organic solvents, such as ethylene-glycol-mono-methylether and similar types. In some cases it may be more convenient and practical to soften the applied web with an appropriate solvent and thus secure a laminated structure with a decorated base web protected by a transparent face web without an intermediate adhesive. In such cases it is recommended that there be no decoration on the side of the face web next to the base web unless it be of such character that it is not spoiled by the softening of the web by the solvent.

In embossing the laminated web described above, I prefer that the embossing pressure be sumciently great and the supporting pad be sufficiently soft that the embossing is reflected on the back of the goods. 'Ihe base web should be sufficiently thick to permit a certain amount of indentation with little or no distortion of the back of the web, but I have found that the embossing base web to a certain extent.

The back of the finished web may be advanta- 5 geously treated with a waterproofing agent which will provide counter tension for the face web and its applied decoration. A varnish, which may be dissolved by the solvent of the adhesive which is used to secure the web to the surface to be decorated, is of some advantage. Where hard service is required of the web, as in the case of wall cover-.

ings applied in public places, additional protection and waterproofing may be provided by coating the outer face of the web with a waterproof, transparent, protecting film which may comprise a cellulosic lacquer or a synthetic resin dissolved in a suitable solvent. Due to the limitation of drawing, I have not illustrated the varnish or other laoque'r which may be used on the back of the base the web upon stiff panels for easy application in another structure. The flexibility of my decorated web makes it easy to conform the webto any surface or panel ordinarily encountered.

While I have illustrated and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that the invention is not so limited but may be otherwise practiced and embodied within the scope of the following claims.

Having .thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of making an imitation tile or brick floor or wall covering which consists in forming a flexible relatively thick base web, anda relatively thin, externally washable, generallytransparent face web, simultaneously coating the juxtaposed faces of said base and face webs with a generally transparent cement, partially drying said cement, and subsequently passing said base and face webs through a pressing, embossing and printing device to secure said face and base webs together and simultaneously to emboss and print the webs thus secured to produce a pointed tile or brick effect, there being decorative designs visible through said face web.

2. An imitation tile or brick floor or wall covering comprising a relatively thick flexible base web and a relatively thin, generally transparent flexible face web, a transparent cement securing said base web to said face web, there being decorative designs visible through said face web, said floor or wall covering having raised portions simulating the appearance of tile or brick units or the like, which portions are interspaced with embossed dividing depressions printed to simulate a pointing effect.

JOHN FREDERICK CARPENTER. 

